Selfish
by DivergentDemigod42
Summary: Piper McLean wasn't selfish. No, not at all. Jason Grace was the selfish one. SEQUEL IS UP: THOSE KALEIDOSCOPE EYES
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everybody!**

**So, here is the not-so-long-awaited Jasper/Jiper one-shot (a very long one at that)! Yeah, there's some Jeyna, kind of. Mostly Jiper. Liper bromance, because it's beautiful. Major character death. Blah, blah, blah. Whole thing is going to be from Jason's perspective.**

**I'm going to shut up and let you read the story.**

**Disclaimer: PJO and HOO belong to Uncle Rick, unfortunately. **

* * *

It was his worst nightmare.

He had to choose between Reyna and Piper.

He didn't have to choose which one to date. He'd thought of that situation as a problem at first, but looking back on it, it seemed completely stupid, compared to what he was facing now.

He had to choose which one to save.

One giant held Piper; another held Reyna.

Reyna looked terrible. She was battered, bruised, bloody. Piper, on the other hand, didn't look nearly as bad. She had one cut running down her forearm, and she was a little dirty, but otherwise she looked fine.

"Come, my boy." Gaea's voice rang out over the valley. "Choose one."

Jason didn't move.

Annabeth sat behind him, her eyes wide. For once, she didn't have a plan.

Perfect timing. Note the sarcasm.

"_Choose_."

Jason shook his head. "No, I ... I can't."

Gaea laughed. It was a cruel, evil sound. "Oh, but you _must_, son of Jupiter. One dies, or all die."

Jason gulped. If he didn't pick one to save, then everybody would die. Piper and Reyna, Leo, Percy, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, Nico, Coach Hedge ... himself ... _everybody_. They would all die, just because it was impossible for Jason to pick one girl.

He started to contemplate on his options.

Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite and Tristan McLean. Compared to other children of Aphrodite, she was much more aggressive and down to earth. Smarter than most, too. She didn't care about how she looked, and Jason admired that. Piper had saved not only him but the rest of the Argo II several times.

Reyna. Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano, proud daughter of Bellona, praetor of the Twelfth Legion. Jason almost smiled, remembering that Reyna had almost killed him for attempting to pronounce her full name. Though he never showed it, he understood what she was going through. He knew that Reyna felt as if she had been betrayed by Jason and refused by Percy. The fact she had run the camp alone only made matters worse. She was a stoic person, seeing as on the outside, she projected the image of a strong, fearless leader. Internally, she was tired and weary.

Reyna and Jason had worked together for years. Had Jason not disappeared, they would have become romantically involved, given time.

The problem was the fact that he _did _disappear. Reyna had been worried sick, and what did Jason do? He came back with a girlfriend.

Jason looked at Piper, who was staring at him intently. He was surprised to find no trace of fear on her face. Why? Was she positive that Jason would choose her?

Jason felt guilty, because that wasn't what he was going to do.

He began to walk towards Reyna.

"_NO_!"

He jerked his head to the side, where the fear he didn't see before had now appeared on Piper's face. "Jason, no, you have to pick me!"

He simply stared at her.

"Please, Jason! You _have_ to! You have to pick me, you can't pick Reyna!" She was crying now.

Jason simply shook his head and looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry, Piper."

"No!" Piper shrieked. "You can't!"

Jason continued to walk towards Reyna.

"Jason, stop."

He stopped.

Piper was charmspeaking him.

He couldn't believe her. He didn't see Reyna screaming at him to save her. Then again, he wasn't sure if Reyna was even conscious, but that was beside the point.

Piper McLean was _selfish_.

"Turn." Jason turned. "Come towards me."

Moving against his will, he began to walk towards her.

"Come on, come on ..." Piper was mumbling frantically. "Keep walking towards me."

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she stared at Jason sadly as he came towards her, extending his arm.

"Goodbye, Jason," she whispered.

It all happened in slow motion.

The giants dropped Reyna and Piper. Reyna fell to the floor and lay there. She was okay, for now. Piper, however, wasn't as fortunate.

The giant holding her pushed a sword through her stomach, taking it out just as swiftly. She fell to the ground, clutching her stomach.

"_Piper_!" Annabeth shrieked from behind Jason, but he ignored her.

His eyes widened. "Wait ... _what_?"

Gaea cackled. "Ah, it seems as if the poor daughter of Aphrodite knew my plan. I would kill whoever you came to. She was not selfish, she was saving Reyna."

Jason stared at Piper.

_She was not selfish, she was saving Reyna_.

The waterfalls came, falling down his cheeks. He ran to Piper and grabbed her. Annabeth did the same with Reyna; Jason noticed that tears were sticking her blonde hair to her face.

Piper smiled weakly at him.

"Hi," she croaked out.

"Piper, why ..."

"Well, for one thing, I kind of stole her from you. And, after everything she's been through, I thought-" she coughed up some blood, "that she deserves to live."

"You deserve to live, too. We would all be dead without you."

"Eh."

"Piper ..." He caressed her cheek, moving her hair out of her face. They were duller than usual. "Please ... just ... just keep those beautiful eyes open for me. Please."

"I'll try," she said softly, smiling up at him. He couldn't help but smile back through his sobs.

"Don't leave me."

"I'm sorry, Jason, but I have to."

"I can save you, I have nectar and ambrosia and-"

"No," she said sternly. "Poison tip, Jason."

Jason's eyes traveled her body until he found her stomach. Sure enough, it was tinted green.

She coughed up more blood, staining Jason's shirt. Her eyes widened as she began to fuss over him, but Jason laughed gently.

"Don't worry about it. It's not important." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

She sighed. "I can't believe I cared about clothing for a minute. Wow, my 'Aphroditeness' is really taking over."

Jason couldn't help but laugh. He admired the way she was acting. Sure, she was about to die, but she didn't make things excessively dramatic and she wasn't panicking like a maniac.

Her voice grew weaker. "Can you ..."

"Can I what?" He looked off into the distance, where Annabeth was crying but tending to Reyna.

"Never mind. I was going to ask you to sing, but you probably sound like a dying walrus."

"Wow. I'm hurt."

"Sorry, sweetie."

"But I guess it's true."

"Thanks for admitting. I'm pretty sure we all sound like dying walruses."

"Nah, I bet you sound nice."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because ... you can charmspeak ... maybe you can charmsing?"

"I highly doubt that."

"Oh, really? Can you sing?"

Jason watched as Annabeth helped Reyna sit up. He didn't even notice that Piper hadn't replied.

"Piper?"

Still no reply.

He looked down at her.

Her eyes were closed. Her skin was pale, and she wasn't moving.

She wasn't breathing.

She had talked with such a carefree tone that Jason even forgot she was dying.

"Piper!" He screamed, shaking her shoulders. He heard Annabeth running towards him. "No, Piper, wake up!"

She didn't move.

"Piper, please! Wake up! _Wake up_!"

Nope. Nothing.

"PIPER!"

"Jason." Jason turned to see Annabeth looking at him, her gray eyes pained. "It's no use. She's gone."

The words hit Jason like a brick.

_She's gone_.

He looked at Piper, those kaleidoscope eyes hidden behind pale eyelids. He remembered everything they had ever done together; every fight, every embrace, every kiss.

And he broke down.

* * *

Together, Jason, Reyna, and Annabeth walked back to the rest of the Seven. Annabeth had attempted to start a small conversation, but it never got anywhere. Her own words were drowned out by sobs. Reyna still wasn't fully conscious, and she was being half-dragged, half-carried by a sulking Jason that was silently crying.

"Wise Girl!" Jason looked at Annabeth. Her eyes lit up momentarily as she saw Percy, and she ran into his arms, crying into his shoulder.

Jason examined everybody else. Hazel and Frank both wore puzzled expressions, and Leo was tightly embracing a pretty girl with caramel hair braided over her shoulder. He pulled away, keeping his arm around the girl's waist, and stared at Jason.

"Where's Piper?"

Jason opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

Leo's voice was more demanding this time. "_Where's Piper_?"

Jason tried to talk, but failed. So he shook his head.

"What is that supposed to mean, Grace, tell me where she is!"

Jason couldn't do it. He just couldn't bring himself to say it. Luckily, Annabeth saved him.

"She's dead."

Leo's eyes widened in disbelief, and after a minute, he shook his head. "No. Piper isn't dead. In a few seconds, she's going to run up behind me and tease me."

Jason finally spoke. "No, Leo ... I'm sorry."

Leo's eyes were fiery. "She can't be dead."

"But she is!" Jason cried out. He understood why Leo was acting like this. Piper was like his sister; Jason would be acting the same way if Thalia died.

It took Leo a long time to finally accept it. "How did she die?" He asked quietly.

"She ... she told me to ..."

"What do you mean, _she told you to_?" Leo roared.

"Leo, please, calm down!" Annabeth said. "He had to choose between Piper and Reyna. Piper was charmspeaking him to come to her; he thought that whoever he came to would survive. Piper knew the real plan ..." She let out a shuddering sob. "Whoever he came to would die."

"And you just let her die?" Leo yelled. He lunged at Jason, but the girl he had been hugging earlier held him back.

"She didn't ..." Jason choked on his words. "She didn't let me heal her."

Leo stared at Jason, who looked back at him sadly. After what seemed like forever, Leo shook his head and began to cry. The girl embraced him again.

"My name is Calypso," she said, looking at Jason. "Who is this Piper girl you speak of?"

"Leo's best friend since who-knows-when," Jason said. He noticed Calypso's jealous expression. "She was basically his sister."

"Was she ... special to you?"

He nodded. "Yeah ..." His voice cracked. "She was my girlfriend."

"Oh," Calypso said in a small voice. "I'm so sorry."

Jason looked at the others. Annabeth and Percy were crying into each other's shoulders. Hazel was hysterically sobbing and Frank was hugging her, dropping a few tears onto her head. Reyna was kneeling on the ground, her head in her hands. She was now fully conscious, and for the first time, she was actually crying. It was obvious how hard Piper's death had hit them all.

But it hit Jason the hardest.

* * *

"She chose _rebirth_?" Jason yelled.

"Yes."

"Why would she do that?" The Seven, plus Calypso, Nico, Reyna, and Coach Hedge, stood in Olympus. Each of them had been granted a wish. Naturally, Jason had asked to bring back Piper.

Zeus sighed. "I cannot read her mind, my boy."

"She wanted a chance at a new life," Aphrodite said. Jason turned to her; her mascara was messed up, and her eyes were red and puffy. She had been crying. Her features morphed, and she looked so much like Piper that it hurt. "A life, in which, she wouldn't constantly be attacked by monsters."

"Is she a demigod?"

"No, not this time. She's mortal, but she can see through the Mist."

"Can I meet her?"

Aphrodite opened her mouth to speak, but Zeus interrupted her. "Jason, she is a mere baby. She was born an hour ago, honestly."

"Is there a way where I can meet her as a fifteen-year-old?"

"Obviously, yes, but you'd be roughly thirty years old by then."

"Is it possible for me to stay sixteen until then?"

Zeus blinked. "I'm not sure ..."

"I got it!" Percy snapped his fingers. "The Lotus Casino!"

"The what now?"

"The Lotus Casino ... they feed you these flower thingys ... and time goes by really quick ... it's perfect."

"What do we do in the meantime?"

"It's a resort. What do you think?"

"Jason," Zeus said. "Would you like to stay at the Lotus Casino?"

Jason nodded without hesitation. "Yes, but how will I-"

"Get out at the right time? We'll send somebody to get you."

"Okay. I'm ready. But ..." Jason turned to his fellow demigods (and Coach Hedge). "Will ... will you come with me?"

"I'm sorry, what?" They all said something along that line, but Percy's voice drowned out the rest of them.

"Will you come with me? To stay at the Lotus Casino? I don't know if I can 'face' Piper's reincarnation alone."

"Jason, I dunno, man ..."

"_Please_?"

Percy looked at Jason with an unreadable expression, before he finally gave in. "Fine. I'll go, but I need to tell my mom first."

Jason's eyes lit up, and he looked at the others. They all shrugged and nodded.

"Yes! Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you, _thank you_!" He turned to Zeus, who sighed and snapped his fingers. With a flash, Olympus disappeared.

* * *

Jason sat on the recliner in his room, tapping the armrest with his fingers. He knew it was almost time to see her.

From what he could tell, it had been a while since they had entered the Lotus Casino. Every once in a while, Aphrodite would send him a letter. It was an update on Piper's reincarnation; her name was, coincidentally, Paris McLane.

Aphrodite had always said that Paris, unlike Piper, actually acted as if she could be her own daughter. She claimed that while they looked the same, Paris and Piper had very different personalities. That only made Jason more anxious to see her.

His thoughts drifted off to when Jason had first made his decision to stay at the Lotus Casino. He had begged everyone else to come with him, just because he was scared. He had begged for his good and his good only.

Jason Grace was _selfish_.

* * *

**So that's the unnaturally long Jiper one-shot for you! I definitely didn't expect it to be this long.**

**I know my writing became absolutely horrendous and rushed at the end, but bear with me. It's past 1:00 AM and the only reason I'm still up is because I really wanted to write this for y'all. I also suck at dramatic scenes.**

**So, I am writing a sequel for you guys called _Those Kaleidoscope Eyes _in which they meet Piper's reincarnation, Paris McLane. It is multi-chapter. Should be coming soonish, but I need to update my Liper fanfic.**

**Like usual, please tell me if I have any mistakes or typos.**

**No pun intended with the whole "hit Jason like a brick" thing. For your information, I do not ship Brason.**

**Thanks for reading, and keep an eye out for the sequel!**

**~ DivergentDemigod42**


	2. UPDATE: SEQUEL IS UP!

**THIS IS NOT A CHAPTER!**

**I REPEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT**

**_THIS IS NOT A CHAPTER!_**

**Just an update :)**

**So, I got Chapter 1 of the sequel up!**

**Be sure to check it out :)**

**It's called ****_Those Kaleidoscope Eyes_****.**

**Thanks! Merry reading (what the heck?)!**

**~ DD42**


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